Melting Point
by Murphy2012
Summary: Whilst the team investigate an unusual murder, Calleigh and Eric explore their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N – set six months after the events of "All In", but assuming Alexx didn't leave. I can't write a story without her :)_

Calleigh Duquesne was in a bad mood. It had been raining all day. She had wanted to go for a run this morning, but she was a Louisiana girl, through and through. She didn't do rain. Now, she wished she had braved it. She felt pent up and agitated, and it wasn't even 10am. As Calleigh walked past the trace lab, she saw Natalia and Ryan bent over the desk, scrutinising a piece of paper. Probably evidence from one of the many open cases they had at the moment. They'd had a run of unsuccessful investigations lately. That, coupled with the rain, frustrated Calleigh.

Laughter from the trace lab made Calleigh stop in her tracks. What could Ryan and Natalia possibly find so funny about evidence? She turned and walked back to the door, plastering a trademark sunny smile on her face.

"Hey guys, what's so funny?"  
Ryan stood bolt up-right, whilst Natalia slid the paper behind her back.  
"Nothing." Ryan lied. "We were just… um… going over some evidence."  
"Evidence? So what's the joke?"  
"We were just laughing at…" Natalia searched for an explanation that would fool Calleigh.  
"His name!" Ryan burst out. "We were laughing at his name!".  
"Really? What is it?" Calleigh asked, suspiciously.  
"What is it?" Ryan stalled.  
"Yeah, his name. What's so funny about it?"  
"His name… is… Elephant! Mr Elephant!"  
"Ryan, that's the lamest thing you've said. _Ever_." Natalia criticised.  
"Well, you weren't exactly helping, were you!"  
"Don't you put this on me, Wolfe, you came to me, remember!"  
"Guys, guys. Enough. Now one of you…" She was interrupted by the ring of her cell. Pulling out of the pocket, she glanced at the name. Horatio Caine.  
"Look, I have to take this. Don't think you've gotten off the hook that easy though."  
Ryan and Natalia looked at each other nervously as Calleigh answered the phone.

"Duquesne". She turned away from them, frowning as her boss filled her in on the details of their next case. "I'm on my way." She wrapped up the call and turned back to where Ryan and Natalia had been standing. They had somehow managed to sneak out of the trace lab without her noticing.  
"Dammit." She muttered, before heading off to find Eric.

Ryan and Natalia stifled childish giggles, until they heard Calleigh's footsteps fade. Pulling themselves out from under the desk, they stood up straight, laughing so hard they could barely breathe.  
"I swear to God, Ryan, if she comes back I'm turning you in." Natalia threatened.  
"Relax, will you? She'll be gone for hours. Now let's get this finished while the coast is clear."  
Natalia nodded, before once again bursting into uncontrollable giggles.

It took Calleigh a good fifteen minutes to find Eric. He had been looking for her, and the two had been missing each other all over the building. Finally, she caught up with him in Ballistics.

"Hey Eric, Horatio called. We've got another body to add to the list."  
"Yeah, he called me too. You ready to go?"  
"Sure."

Calleigh let Eric drive through the busy Miami streets. She was feeling irritated as it was, and she didn't want to make things worse by battling through the traffic. Besides, it always took her ages to adjust the seat so she could reach the pedals. Not that she'd ever admit that to anyone.

It took them nearly forty minutes to wind their way out of town to the crime scene. They chatted easily the whole way there, discussing the details of some of the cases they'd been unable to solve over the last few weeks. As they pulled up at the heavily wooded area Horatio had directed them to, Calleigh started to take in the scene.

Patrol cars littered the road. A haphazard crime scene perimeter had been set up, weaving the distinctive black and yellow tape around trees and shrubs. Calleigh grabbed her camera and jumped down from the Hummer.

"Nice spot for a murder" Eric commented, glancing around at scenery. "The rain's gonna cause us some problems."  
"Yeah, who knows what evidence will get washed away?"

They ducked under the tape and walked towards a small white tent, set up to protect the body from the elements. Alexx knelt by the body of a large man, trying to get a thermometer into the victim's liver. Calleigh couldn't help but notice the obvious.

"He has a hole in him!"  
"Yep, right the way through. And you wanna know what's weird?" Alexx asked.  
"The hole isn't weird?"  
"Well, yes, but something else. The wound is cauterized. There's barely any blood outside of the body.  
"Cauterized? Like with something hot?" Eric squatted down to get a closer look.  
"Bingo." Alexx confirmed.  
"So what are we looking at here? A blow torch maybe?"  
"No, the wound is too neat for that, and we'd see more extensive burning. I'd say we're looking at a super-heated pole of some sort."  
"Where would you get one of those all the way out here?" Calleigh wondered, starting to snap pictures  
"You don't. I've got double levidity here. The body's been moved."  
"So we're looking for a primary crime scene." Eric ducked outside of the tent, leaving Calleigh to carry on photographing.

Horatio was about 20 feet away, crouched down, staring at the earth.

"H. What have you got?"  
"Tire treads"  
"In this rain?"  
"I think the trees have kept most of the rain off, but let's work quickly on this. This rain's getting heavier.  
"You got it, H." Eric got to work casting the tire treads. It wasn't difficult to find the shoe prints in the dirt, they led directly from the car to the body. He took casts of those, too.

Eventually, Calleigh emerged from the tent.  
"Hey, Cal, can you get some shots of these?" Eric called.  
"Sure." She pointed her camera and started shooting.  
"Hey Eric, I have a question." She stopped, looking up at him. "If you're going to dump a body, why stop the car twenty feet from where you're actually going to dump it? It's hard work carrying a dead weight. Wouldn't it be easier to just open the door and push him out?"

Eric looked around.

"There's a lake a little further on. Maybe whoever dumped the body was trying to carry him there. Our vic's a big guy. Maybe the perp ran out of energy."  
Calleigh turned, walking slowly back towards the tent. Eric followed her inside.

She was looking at the floor.

"It's hard to see, with all the foot traffic in here, but d'you think these marks could be made by someone falling to their knees?

Eric looked closer. The round impressions could easily be imprints of somebody's knees. A little further back, he could see deeper impressions.

"Look at this, Cal. I'd lay money on this being were his toes dug in as he went down."  
"OK, so the he drives out here, gets as close to the lake as he can before the ground gets too soft, and starts trying to carry our vic. He makes it twenty feet before his legs give way and he falls, dropping the vic. Hey, Eric, kneel down for me would you."  
"You want me to kneel at your feet?"  
"If you'd be so kind." She teased.  
"OK, if you insist." Eric placed his kit on the ground before dropping to his knees.  
"Like this?"  
"Yeah. Now, get up."  
Obediently, Eric pushed himself up, using his right hand to steady himself.  
"There. You pushed yourself up."  
Eric looked down. He could see his handprint in the wet mud.  
"What's the betting our perp did the same thing?"

They both looked down, searching for a handprint.  
"Here." Eric said. Calleigh looked where he was pointing. Clear as day, they saw the hand print of a killer.


	2. Chapter 2

Eric was going through the photographs and casts taken that morning. He was frustrated. He hadn't been able to find a single usable print. His only lead so far was some small pieces of coloured glass he'd found in the foot prints. They were stuck all over the casts, and he had picked more out of the mud.

They hadn't found a primary crime scene. They hadn't found the murder weapon. They hadn't even been able to ID the guy. It was looking more and more like this case would join the growing pile of unsolved cases they were already working on.

"Hey Delko. How's it going?" Ryan breezed into the lab, thumping Eric playfully on the back.  
"Hey Wolfe. Not great. No prints, no primary scene, no weapon…"  
"What _do _you have?"  
"Glass."  
"Glass?"  
"Yeah. Tiny pieces of coloured grass in the shoe prints. It must have been on this guy's shoes."  
"Well, that doesn't exactly narrow things down. He could have picked that stuff up from any number of places."  
"Tell me about it." Eric sighed. "So did you just come in here to chat or is there something you need?" Eric needed to focus, and Ryan was an unwelcome distraction.  
"Oh nothing really, I was just wondering if you're free Friday night after work."  
"Friday? I guess so. Why?"  
"It's just I'm going to visit family for the weekend and I kinda need a lift to the airport."  
"Can't you just take a cab?" Eric was irritated. He had no plans to speak of, but he didn't fancy battling through the Miami traffic just to take Wolfe to the airport.  
"Oh, you know, cabs, germs. OCD." Ryan gestured vaguely, as if that would help illustrate his point.  
Eric sighed. "OK, whatever, but you owe me, OK?"  
"Great. Thanks Eric." Ryan skipped out of the room, nearly colliding with Calleigh on his way out.  
"Sorry, Calleigh, in a rush." He called over his shoulder.  
Eric shook his head. "That guy gets weirder every day."  
Calleigh smiled "Don't I know it. I caught him and Natalia giggling over something in the trace lab this morning. They're up to something."  
"Yeah, well, he's just conned me into taking him to the airport on Friday."  
"Ooh, lucky you. I'm going out for a drink with Natalia Friday night, otherwise I'd offer to come with you guys." She smiled playfully, clearly not disappointed that she'd be missing this particular road trip. "Any progress on those casts?", she shifted easily into professional mode.  
"Nothing. I couldn't get any prints. They only thing I've found has been this glass. See that? Tiny shards of different coloured glass. It must have been in the guy's shoe."  
"So maybe he was at a church? Stained Glass Window?"  
"Maybe. I'll see if I can find any reports of broken church windows. It's a long shot, but you never know."  
"Listen, I'm on my way down to see Alexx, but I was wondering if you wanted to grab a late lunch when I'm done?"  
"Sounds good. Come and find me when you're ready."  
"Great. See ya." She smiled, turning to leave.

Eric watched her go. He'd never tire of that view. It was almost as nice as when she walked towards him.

Calleigh knew he was watching her. He always did. She didn't mind. Anyone else and she probably would have pulled her weapon on them, but Eric was different. She knew his feelings for her ran far deeper than the odd lustful glance, even if he hadn't had the courage to act on them. She knew how he thought about her. She knew he wanted to settle down. With her. And he knew she knew. But did he know she knew he knew? She wasn't sure. It was a delicate situation.

Trying – and failing – to push Eric from her mind, Calleigh pushed open the door to Alexx's autopsy lab and walked in.

"Hey Alexx" she chirped.  
"Hey Calleigh." She looked up at Calleigh's grinning face. "Just been to see Eric have you?"  
"How did you know that?" Calleigh asked, puzzled.  
"Honey, you always grin like a Cheshire Cat when you've been with him. Why you two don't sort yourselves out I'll never know."  
Calleigh blushed. "Is it that obvious?"  
"About as obvious as this hole in our vic." Alexx waved her gloved hands over the body.  
"That's pretty obvious."  
"Uh-huh." Alexx nodded.  
"Anyway, speaking of our victim, have you found anything?"  
"I've found a heart attack waiting to happen. This guy would have been dead within months if somebody hadn't helped him along the way. Look at this."  
She waved a large bag of a sloppy looking substance.  
"Stomach contents?" Calleigh asked, wrinkling up her nose.  
"Two double cheeseburgers, fries, onion rings, coleslaw, all washed down with chocolate ice-cream."  
"_Two_ double cheeseburgers?"  
"Like I said, heart attack waiting to happen."  
"So what was the cause of death?"  
"Technically, heart attack. The weapon pierced the left ventricle. His heart would have stopped almost instantly. No defence wounds that I can see, so he either knew his attacker or he was surprised. Tox screen came back clear."  
"So nothing we can work with?" Calleigh was disappointed.  
"There is one thing. Look at this." Alexx inserted a spreader into the hole in the man's chest. Calleigh peered in as Alexx continued. "There's glass in the wound."  
"Eric found shards of coloured glass at the scene…"  
"I'm not talking shards. This glass is actually melted into the body."  
"You're kidding?"  
"I wish I were." Alexx shook her head.  
"So the glass must have been hot when it went in." Calleigh pondered.  
"Hot enough to be a liquid."  
"You'd need a temperature of something like 2600 degrees to melt glass."  
"A weapon that hot would glide through a body like a hot knife through butter. Cauterizing the wound as it went."  
"Thanks, Alexx. Call me if you find anything else?"  
"Sure thing."

Calleigh turned and left her friend to carry on working on the body. Her stomach rumbled – she had grabbed an apple for breakfast but that was all she had eaten all day. She made her way back to where she had left Eric.

"Hey Eric, ready to go?"  
"You bet." He responded, pulling off his latex gloves.  
"So where are you taking me?" Calleigh asked.  
"Hang on, I thought _you _asked _me _out?"  
"I did no such thing."  
"I'm pretty sure that you did." Eric protested, smiling.  
"Hey. Don't argue with me. I'm armed." Calleigh threatened.  
"OK. OK, I am taking you to…Lou-Lou."  
"Oh, wow. What have I done to deserve that?"  
"Just being you." He flirted.

She smiled, enjoying his flattery.

They made their way through the busy hallways of Miami Dade Police Department, chatting easily, teasing one another, Eric flirting as he smiled his usual cheeky smile. They reached the parking lot and climbed into Eric's car. As Eric drove them towards her favourite restaurant, Calleigh lapsed deep into thought.

It had been six months since she had admitted she loved him, in the dark night that had followed her kidnapping. She had reached out to something safe and familiar, and had regretted it. Not making the statement – it was the truth and she would not deny it – but her timing. She worried that Eric thought she had said it purely because she was feeling frightened, vulnerable. It hadn't helped that the stressful days and weeks that had followed, her friends working on the case and processing evidence, had lead to a court-case that Calleigh would rather forget. Sure, Seth had been convicted and would spend years behind bars, but she had had to recount every thing that had happened over and over. She had not been able to forget the way she had wanted to. Her relationship with Eric had stalled as she tried to come to terms with what had happened. She had told him she just needed time.

He had nodded, sadly. "Take all the time you need" he had said. He would wait.

Then she had read the file. Calleigh had wondered if Eric had moved on, but reading those words… She had listened to the tape, too, though he didn't know that. There was no doubt that Eric wanted to be with her. She just needed to find the courage to pick up where they had left off. To move their relationship on from the platonic safety they had found.

Gazing through the car window, Calleigh watched the city move past her. Her eye was drawn to the couples, walking hand in hand down the street, sharing coffee, going about their lives. Together. Was she so different to any of them? Sitting in the restaurant, would people look at her with Eric and assume they were a couple? A real couple, not two people stopping and starting like they did. She found herself hoping that they did. She liked the idea of it. Being Eric's girlfriend. His fiancé. His wife.

"What are you smiling at?"

She hadn't realised he was watching her. He should have been watching the road.

"Nothing. Just… I'm happy, is all. Going out to lunch with my favourite guy."  
"Your favourite? You like me more than your Dad?" Eric teased.  
"Sometimes." She replied, more seriously than he had expected.

He smiled at that. Maybe Calleigh Duquesne wasn't officially his girlfriend, but he was her favourite guy. Sometimes.

The last six months had been hard on them both. Watching her suffer was the most difficult thing he had ever had to do. Listening in that court room as she had recounted in minute detail everything that Seth had said and done. Looking at the photographs of her injuries. It was little wonder that she had backed off. It was all too much at once. But Seth was behind bars, she could move on with her life now. And he wanted to be right next to her when she did.

He found a spot to park the car not too far from the restaurant. He told her to wait where she was whilst he ducked around to her side of the car to open the door for her.

"So chivalry isn't dead after all." She smiled.  
"Hey, when Eric Delko takes you on a date, he treats you right."  
"So this is a date?"  
"I think so. Don't you?"  
Calleigh thought for a moment. Was this a date? She had to be honest with herself. She _wanted_ for this to be a date.  
"Yeah, I think it is."  
"Great. Come on then." He offered her his arm, and she took it. They walked up the street arm in arm, looking to all the world like any other couple enjoying lunch together.  
The waitress guided them to a table near the window, where Eric pulled a chair out for Calleigh before sitting down himself.  
"You should be careful, Eric, I could get used to this treatment." Calleigh warned.  
"Fine by me. I'll still be pulling chairs out for you when we're old and grey."  
Calleigh looked up from her menu. "Old and grey?"  
Eric grinned at her. "Well, maybe you won't go grey."  
Calleigh rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant."  
"Then what did you mean?"  
"I meant, do you think about us being old and grey? Together?"  
Eric was suddenly embarrassed. He didn't want to tell her the truth – that being with her was pretty much all he _ever _thought about. He didn't want her to back off. Again."  
"Sometimes." he answered.

They ordered food, chatting easily as they ate. They debated what Ryan and Natalia were up to. Eric thought they were planning on some sort of practical joke. Calleigh disagreed. Eventually, after a few minutes where they ate in silence, Eric worked up the courage to steer the conversation back to the subject of their relationship.

"Calleigh?"  
She looked up from her Cesar Salad to meet his gaze. "Yeah?"  
"Will you be my girlfriend?"  
She swallowed her mouthful and stared at him. "Just like that? No build up, no lead in, just "will you be my girlfriend?""  
"Yeah. Just like that. I'm tired of beating around the bush. I want to tell all our friends we're a couple. I want to introduce you to my parents…"  
"I already met your parents."  
"Not as my girlfriend."  
Calleigh smiled. "Well, I guess you better call your Mom. I'm free Saturday."


	3. Chapter 3

They finished their meals and asked the waitress to bring them the cheque. Eric took Calleigh's hand, playing with her fingers, caressing her skin, delighting in the fact that Calleigh Duquesne was his girlfriend and the whole world could know about it.

Calleigh smiled dreamily, enjoying his touch. Eric watched her smile distractedly.

"What are you thinking?"  
"I was just thinking how excited Natalia will be. She keeps telling me you and I should be together."  
"I always liked Natalia. Smart woman." Eric laughed. "I guess we should tell H before we tell the others though."  
Calleigh's smile flickered. "Do you think he'll want one of us to transfer?" Calleigh thought of the departmental policy that forbade relationships between team members.  
"Honestly? No. If he can keep the team together, he will. And if IAB interfere, then I'll start looking for another job."  
Calleigh sighed. "I hope it doesn't come to that."  
"You might change your mind on Monday morning when we've spent all weekend together. You'll be sick of the sight of me." Eric teased.  
"We're spending all weekend together?"  
Eric shrugged. "Do you have somewhere else you'd rather be?"  
"Nowhere at all."

They paid for their meals and ambled back towards the car, hand in hand, admiring displays in shop windows as they went.  
"Hey, look at these." Calleigh pulled Eric over to a window displaying glass vases, paperweights, decorations – all in bright colours. "They're beautiful. Imagine the work that goes into making these."  
Eric looked at a sign in the window. "All of our glass pieces are hand made using traditional methods."  
"It must be quite a skill." Calleigh mused. She stared at the pieces for a while. "Hey Eric, do you know how they make this stuff?"  
"No idea. Why?"  
"Our vic had melted glass in his wound. And you found coloured glass in the shoe prints…"  
"There can't be that many places in Miami with the facilities to heat glass to melting point. What do you say we go and have a word with these guys?  
"I say "After you"."

Eric pushed open the door. A professional looking girl sat perched on a stool behind the counter. She smiled at them as they entered.

Eric and Calleigh moved towards her, holding up their badges.  
"My name's CSI Delko, this is CSI Duquesne. Mind if we ask you a few questions?"  
"Sure." The girl smiled easily. If she was hiding something, she was doing a really good job.  
"Do you make all of your pieces on the premises?" Calleigh asked.  
"We make all are own stuff, but not here. We have a workshop across town."  
Eric handed the girl a notebook and pen. "Could you write down the address?"  
"Sure." She bent over the notebook, scribbling an address. She handed the notebook back to Eric. "Anything else I can help you with?"  
"Not at the moment. We'll be in touch."

The girl smiled as Calleigh and Eric left the shop.

"What do you think?" Calleigh turned to Eric as they stood on the sidewalk. The rain had finally subsided, but the dampness still permeated through the city. The roads were dark with rain water, and pedestrians skipped over the flowing water in the gutters.  
"I think we should go take a look at this workshop."  
"I agree. I'll give Horatio a call and let him know what we've found."

Eric nodded. He glanced up at the dark sky. The clouds were still thick, threatening another downpour. "Hey, Cal, let's get back to the car. I think there's more rain coming."

They hurried back to the car, reaching the Hummer just before the first massive drops fell from the sky. Within seconds, the rain was lashing down, washing over the windscreen, obscuring their view of the outside world. The low rumble of thunder was followed a few seconds later by the flash of sheet lightening.

"Wow, it's really hammering down." Calleigh stared at the river running down the windows.  
"It's just a shower. Probably best to wait here until it eases off."  
Calleigh nodded. They sat in easy silence for a few minutes, admiring the power of the Miami weather. Outside, people dashed into shops, tried to shelter under umbrellas – anything to avoid the heavy rain.  
"So," Eric turned to Calleigh with a childish grin. "Nervous about meeting my parents Saturday night?"  
Calleigh laughed. "You know your Mom loves me."  
"Ah, but she loves Calleigh Duquesne who works with me. How do you know what she'll make of Calleigh Duquesne my girlfriend?"  
"That's a good point." Calleigh played along with his teasing. "I don't know if I could be with you if your parents don't approve."  
"Then we'd better make sure they like you." Eric leaned towards her, locking his eyes with hers.  
"And how do you think we should do that?" Calleigh remained still, allowing Eric to come to her.  
"I happen to know someone who could put in a good word for you…" She closed her eyes as her kissed her, gently at first, but soon deepening. Eric reached out, placing a hand on the back of her head, stroking her hair.

As the rain eased off, they pulled apart, aware that the seclusion provided by the heavy rain wouldn't last much longer.

Eric pulled his seatbelt on and turned the key in the ignition. "You ready to go catch a bad guy?" He asked her.

"You know it!" She responded.

After forty minutes of driving, they found the address they'd been given. The workshop was in an old warehouse in a quiet part of town. The area had very little traffic, people only came here if they had business in the immediate area. It was the perfect place for a murder.

Eric pushed the heavy door open. The workshop was furnished with kilns and furnaces in various sizes. The walls were adorned with bizarre looking tools, all no doubt used to temper and mould the glass into the beautiful pieces for sale in their shop.

"You could do a lot of damage with some of this stuff… "Calleigh mused, her eyes exploring the heavy iron tongs, cutters, and rods.

"Look at these…" Eric drew her attention to a half-dozen steel rods, all standing in a large bucket of water. Eric pulled one out of the water. Smooth coloured glass was melted near one end.  
"Any one of these could be our murder weapon." The pair glanced around the room. The rods were everywhere, stacked in corners, laid on benches, standing in buckets.

"Can I help you?" a tall, muscular man with unkempt blonde hair approached them. His ripped jeans were covered in scorch marks, and his thin shirt was unbuttoned. He wore thick gloves on his hands.  
"Yes, my name's Calleigh Duquesne, this is Eric Delko. We're with the crime lab. Mind if we ask you a few questions?"  
"Sure." The man pulled off his gloves and unsuccessfully attempted to push his hair out of his eyes.  
"Are there many workshops like this in Miami?" Calleigh asked.  
"Nope. We're the only one. Unless you count the cruise ships. Some of them have glass sculptors on board."  
Calleigh wished they had a picture of the dead man– they may have been able to get an ID.  
"Has anybody not turned up to work today?"  
"I don't think so…" The man glanced around the cavernous room, tallying up his co-workers. "Nope, all here. Except Davey. He's got the week off."  
Eric pulled his notebook out of his pocket and passed it to the man. "Would you mind writing his details down for me?"  
The man took the notebook and began to write. He passed the book back to Eric, who glanced at the name scrawled untidily on the notebook. David March. It was a start.  
"Thanks. " Eric nodded at the man.

A long, red welt on the man's upper arm caught Calleigh's attention.  
"What happened to your arm?" She gestured at the mark.  
The man looked at where she pointed. "Occupational hazard. Knocked it on the door of the kiln. Most of us do it." He twisted his arm, giving Calleigh a better look. He had four or five scars, all the same shape.  
Calleigh nodded. "We'll be in touch".

The pair turned and left the warehouse.  
"What do you think?" Calleigh asked.  
"I think we need to go and visit David March."


	4. Chapter 4

_AN - I meant to say at the beginning of the last chapter – many thanks to the person who pointed out some of my dialogue was tricky to follow. Hopefully I've made it much clearer from here on in. I'll go back and look at the other chapters when I get chance! Sorry for how long this is taking, real life keeps getting in the way._

As Eric drove them back to the lab, Calleigh called Horatio to fill him in.  
"Horatio, we think we have a lead. Eric and I just paid a visit to a glass sculpting warehouse. They use metal poles to handle the melted glass."  
"That sounds like something that could make a hole through someone…" Horatio was pleased. Maybe this would be the break the team needed.  
"That's what we thought. We spoke to someone at the warehouse. He said the only person who wasn't at work today was a David March. He could be our vic."  
"Or he could be the killer. I'll have Ryan look into it. Good work."

Calleigh ended the call and shifted her attention to the city outside. The sky had cleared and the warm Florida sun baked the damp sidewalks. Eric had rolled down the window and rested his left arm casually on the door, using his right hand to steer. Calleigh relaxed back into her seat, enjoying being out of the lab.

They wove their way through the streets, reaching the crime lab in good time. Eric slipped the Hummer into a spot in the parking lot. As they walked towards the lab, Eric slipped his hand in to Calleigh's, intertwining their fingers. Calleigh flashed him a smile. They took advantage of the seclusion of the lift for just one more kiss before they had to return to work. As the doors whooshed open, they automatically stood apart from one another, not wanting to start the rumour mill going before they'd had chance to speak to Horatio. They were barely out of the lift before Ryan rushed up to them.

"Hey guys – I ran that name – David March. He's our vic."  
"What was he in the system for?" Calleigh asked, as she took the manila folder out of Ryan's hands and began to flick through it.  
"Suspected embezzlement, but the DA dropped it. Not enough evidence. That was in Ohio."  
"Says here he was suspected of siphoning money off the company he worked for, but they couldn't figure out how he was doing it." Calleigh read the police report out to Eric and Ryan.  
"I've already subpoenaed his financial records, they should be here soon." Ryan gushed with the excitement of a lead.  
"Good work, Mr Wolfe." They turned to see Horatio standing behind them. "It's about time we made some progress on a case. Keep going through the records, get Natalia to help you. Eric…" he turned to his friend "you and Calleigh head over to the vic's place. See what you can find."  
"You got it, H". Eric replied, before retracing his steps back to the parking lot, with Calleigh next to him.

* * *

The house was tidy, but not the sort of tidy you get when a person is naturally neat, or hires a maid. The sort of tidy you get when somebody doesn't really live in their house. All the right components were there – the pictures of family, the books, the CD collection – but they didn't gel to make a home. Calleigh felt as though she was walking through a show-home for a new built apartment complex. She sighed as she picked her way around the apartment, finding nothing distinct. Nothing of use.

Eric pressed his foot onto the pedal of the trash can. He peered in. Empty. The fridge contained a few condiments, but was otherwise empty.  
"OK, this is weird." Calleigh turned to face Eric, placing her hands on her hips.  
"You got that right". Eric continued glancing around. "There's nothing here."  
"So what? Was he some kind of compulsive neat-freak?" Calleigh pushed an ornament aside, revealing a ring of dust. "obviously not…" she muttered.  
"He didn't live here. You don't keep a place this tidy and then forget to dust." Eric stated, confident in his assessment.  
Calleigh didn't argue. "You're right. So what is this? Why have a house you don't live in?"  
"You got me."

They stood in silence for a few moments, each thinking about what to do next. Calleigh broke the silence. "OK, we're not going to get anywhere here. Let's head back to the lab. Maybe the financial records will throw something up."

They began to move towards the door, when Eric's cell chirruped to life. He glanced at the screen.

"It's Wolfe." He pressed the answer button. "Hey Ryan. What's up?"  
"We got the financial records, but something's weird. March's Correspondence address is a different address than his recorded address."  
"That makes sense. This place doesn't look lived in. What's the new address?"

* * *

Another 20 minute drive and Eric and Calleigh reached Coral Gables. Neat houses stood in well-manicured lawns, lining the letter-free streets. Miami's very own Stepford.

Eric pulled up outside one of the houses – the address Ryan had found. "So…" he began, as they stepped out of the car and started walking up the driveway. "Fancy buying a place out here someday?"  
Calleigh laughed. "Are you kidding me? Way too many rules for my liking. I like to let the lawn grow from time to time." Eric smirked at the irony of Calleigh, with her passion for the law, baulking at the idea of living in the by-law obsessed Gables.  
"Oh, I don't know. You can pretty much guarantee the neighbours won't be a pain."  
Calleigh shot him a wry look. "I'll reserve judgement on that until we find out who killed the guy".

They reached the front door, and Calleigh rang the bell.  
"Didn't Ryan say the guy was single?" Eric asked.  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Well, who's gonna answer the bell if the only occupant is laying on a slab in the morgue?"  
"You never know. Maybe he has a housekeeper. It's rude to just barge in." Calleigh chastised him.

She was right. The door was pulled open a few inches. An eye peered through the narrow gap. "What do you want?" a woman asked, defensively.  
"I'm CSI Duquesne, this is CSI Delko. We're from the Crime Lab." Calleigh flashed a sunny smile, even though she couldn't be sure the woman could see her clearly.  
"Do you have any ID?" The woman wasn't taking any risks. Eric always complained at how laissez-fair the citizens of Miami could be when it came to security, but now that he was faced with this woman, doing everything right, he found himself irritated. Nevertheless, he pulled his ID out of his pocked and held it up for her to see. Calleigh did the same.

The woman's eye shifted from the pictures on the ID to their faces, trying to decide if they matched. Eventually, she decided that they did. The door closed whilst she pulled the chain off, and Eric and Calleigh were finally admitted.

The woman was slightly built, with a shock of red, curly hair. Calleigh guessed she was in her late twenties. Her skin was pale, unusual for the Miami climate, but not everybody spent hours clad in a bikini soaking up the sun. Some people had better things to do with their time.

The woman led them through to the back of the house, into an immaculately kept kitchen. But unlikely the previous house, this place was obviously lived in. Evidence of life was everywhere – notes pinned to a board, keys hanging on hooks, some unopened mail on the counter.

"Ma'am, can I ask your name, please?" Calleigh gently began the interview. She had no idea who the woman was, or how she would react to finding out about the murder. She needed to be tactful.  
"Miranda. Miranda Collins. I'm the housekeeper. What's this about?" Calleigh looked uneasily to Eric. She hated this part. Get it over with. Rip off the band-aid.  
"Ms Collins, I'm very sorry but we have some bad news. Mr March has been murdered."  
Miranda stared at Calleigh for a few moments, before sinking into a stool at the counter.  
"Ms Collins, are you OK? Do you want us to call anybody for you?"  
"No. No, I'm fine." The woman visibly rallied herself. "I guess you have some questions for me."  
"If you don't mind." Calleigh spoke gently. Eric wondered if this woman was somehow more intimately connected with March than she had let on.

Miranda shook her head. "Anything I can do to help."  
Calleigh smiled "Thanks. When was the last time you saw David?"  
"Two days ago, in the morning. He had this week off work and he said he was going to stay with his girlfriend for a few days."  
Eric's ears pricked up. There was a girlfriend. "Do you have the name and address of this girlfriend?"  
"Sure…" Miranda stood up and crossed to a drawer, where she pulled out a notebook. She flicked through before stopping on a page, and handing the book to Eric.  
"Thanks" he said, taking the book from her and beginning to duplicate the contents.

Calleigh continued her questions. "Had you noticed anything strange going on lately? David going out at odd times, unusual visits, that kind of thing?"  
The woman thought for a while, before shaking her head "No… nothing really. His girlfriend, Mona, visited sometimes. A couple of the guys from David's office…"  
"Wait, David's office?" Eric picked up on the inconsistency. David didn't work in an office. "Ma'am, where did David work?"  
"David's an accountant… well, he was. He had his own firm." Miranda pulled open another drawer, rummaged around for a while, and eventually produced a business card. She handed it to Calleigh.  
Calleigh took it, smiling. "Thank you" she said, not missing a beat, not letting Miranda know what was up. "Do you know who the men were who visited?"  
"Not really… he called one of them Peter, I think. I remember the car they drove though – it was a Mercedes Benz. Like in the song. And the plate was personalised. L0AD 3D

Calleigh smiled "Thank you, Miranda. That helps a lot. Will you be staying here or do you have someplace else to go? Just in case we need to speak again."  
Miranda's face fell. "Oh… I hadn't thought. I don't know, I've always lived here. My mother was David's housekeeper before I was even born. We always lived with him…" she trailed off, confused.

Calleigh placed a comforting hand on the girls arm.

"Don't worry, there's no need for you to go anywhere just yet. Why don't you take this. Call me if you need to." Calleigh handed the girl her card, and Miranda smiled gratefully.


	5. Chapter 5

"So… your place or mine?" Eric slipped his arm around Calleigh's waist as they walked through the parking lot at the end of their shift.  
Calleigh twisted her head to look at him. "How do you know I don't have plans?" She teased.  
"Because Natalia said she was having dinner with her sister tonight."  
"Hey! I have other friends, you know!" Calleigh laughed, enjoying the teasing.  
"I know, but no others you wouldn't blow off to be with me." Eric broke away from Calleigh and quickened his step, reaching the Hummer in time to open the door for her.  
"Careful, Eric, I'll start to expect this sort of treatment all the time." She grinned as she slid elegantly into the passenger seat.  
"Fine by me, just remember there aren't many guys like me around." Eric skipped around the back of the hummer, climbing in next to Calleigh. "You didn't answer my question." Eric put the key in the ignition, waiting for Calleigh to tell him which home they would be going to.  
"What's in your refrigerator?" Calleigh asked, carefully weighing her options.  
"Ah. Well, there's a six pack. Some ketchup… maybe some leftover Chinese from…"  
Calleigh cut him off. "My place. I'll cook. How does risotto sound?"  
"Much better than leftover Chinese and ketchup" Eric smiled as he slid the car out of the parking space and began driving towards Calleigh's home.

The rain had well and truly subsided now, giving way to warm Miami sunshine. Calleigh opened the window and rested her elbow on the door, enjoying the cool breeze. Eric drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, keeping time with the music quietly playing on the radio. Calleigh could feel the stresses of the day begin to ebb away. She smiled to herself as she thought how much could change in just one day. This morning, her plans for tonight had been to go for a run, eat a quick meal, and catch up on some paperwork. Now… well, who knew?

Her only concern was that they hadn't managed to speak to Horatio. Which meant they still had to be careful who saw them. On the other hand, they had been to each other's houses many, many times. Eric had slept on her couch more times than she could remember. To the casual observer, nothing had changed.

But things _had _changed, regardless of who knew, and that made Calleigh uneasy. She frowned unconsciously.

"You OK?" Eric glanced at her worried face  
"Yeah. I just wish we'd spoken to Horatio today. I hate keeping things from him."  
"I know. It was crazy at the lab today. We'll speak with him tomorrow." Eric gently stroked her left knee, a comforting gesture that she appreciated. Calleigh smiled in return, and placed her hand on top of his.

_Bliss…_

Calleigh was so relaxed on the ride home she barely wanted to get out of the car when Eric pulled onto her drive. So she waited in the passenger seat, allowing him time to open the door for her, since he seemed to enjoy it so much. As she twisted in her seat to step out of the car, Eric offered her his hand, pulling her up towards him. Momentum kept her going and they ended up in a deep embrace, Calleigh leaning in to Eric as he kissed her deeply. The fingers of his right hand wove through her hair, his left hand rested on her hip.

Calleigh allowed herself a few seconds of pleasure before pulling away.

"Eric, someone might see. Let's go inside." She laced the fingers on her left hand through the fingers of his right, pulling him towards the house.  
"What's the matter, Cal, ashamed of me?" Eric asked, half teasing, half worried.  
Calleigh stopped walking and turned to look at him. "You know that's not true. We just have to be careful until we can talk to Horatio. Please, Eric, it's just one night."  
Eric smiled his lop-sided smile, and shook his head slightly. "OK, just one night. We'll keep the lights off."  
Calleigh raised her eyebrows at him, but otherwise didn't respond. She didn't want to make any commitments just yet.

Calleigh slipped the key into the lock and pushed the door open. Despite being with Eric, she still went through her usual "getting home" routine. Her purse and shoes went in the hall closet. Next she moved into the open plan kitchen and living area, placing her gun in the top drawer of the sideboard – out of sight but easily accessible – before moving into the kitchen area to switch on the coffee maker.

"Would you like coffee?" she asked Eric as she adjusted the settings  
"Mmmm…" He cooed into her ear, snaking his arms around her waist from behind. Calleigh smiled and sighed quietly as he began to kiss her neck, and leaned back towards him. Eric began to work his way down her shoulders, pushing her collar out of the way as he moved. Eventually, the fabric would stretch no more, so he pulled her around to face him.

She looked up into his eyes, and for a few seconds they simply embraced, each entranced by the proximity of the other. Eventually, Eric couldn't hold back any longer. Reaching down to place one arm under her knees, he swept her up into his arms, continuing to pepper her face and neck with kisses as he carried her to the bedroom.

The ingredients for Calleigh's risotto remained in the refrigerator. Neither one of them felt particularly inclined to leave the comfort of the bedroom for very long, so instead Eric retrieved his cell from the pocket of is trousers and ordered in.

Calleigh had pulled on Eric's shirt, fastening just enough of the buttons to cover her up. Eric ate his pizza dressed in just his boxers.

"So…" Calleigh began as she swallowed a mouthful of pizza "Who are we going to tell first? After Horatio, obviously." She took another bite of pizza, but her green eyes fixed intently on Eric, waiting for his answer.  
"Well, I kinda already told my mom, so…"  
"What?" Calleigh squealed, "I thought we were waiting until Horatio knew!"  
Eric wasn't sure whether she was genuinely annoyed or simply teasing, so he decided to play it safe. He flashed her his cheeky smile, the one that he knew made her melt just a little.  
"Relax. I swore my mom to secrecy. She won't tell. Besides, I had to tell her we were coming to dinner on Saturday."  
Calleigh thought for a moment, the comforting thought of a home-cooked meal at the Delko's outweighing her irritation that Eric had already told his Mom. "OK. "She conceded. But I get to choose the next person."  
"Fair enough." Eric agreed, taking another bite of pizza. He chewed a little, before swallowing and continuing. "Who's it gonna be?"  
Calleigh thought for a moment. Who would she tell? She adored her brothers, but they didn't have the kind of relationship where the updated each other on their love lives every five minutes. She would wait until she was planning to see them anyway. She considered ringing her father, but she had been here before – trying to ring him with some exciting news only to spend three days talking to his voicemail, before he finally called her back with some story about how he had lost his phone. She always pretended she believed him. But she could always tell when he was off the wagon again.  
Perhaps she could call her mom. But they weren't exactly close. Calleigh sighed, slightly depressed by her family.  
"I guess… Natalia" She decided.  
Eric smirked "Good choice. That'll save us telling the rest of the lab ourselves."  
Calleigh grinned and playfully slapped him on the thigh "Now come on, Natalia can keep a secret."  
Eric shot her a disbelieving look  
"It's true. Actually I walked in on her and Ryan this morning. I'm sure they were up to something but they gave me the slip before I could find out what it was. Whatever they're up to, they're both keeping very quiet about it."  
"Huh…" Eric answered, suddenly distracted.  
"What is it?"  
"It's just… I don't really buy Ryan needing me to take him to the airport on Friday. He said he couldn't get a cab because of germs…"  
"But your car isn't exactly spotless." Calleigh interrupted.  
"Thank you for that." Eric replied, knowing she was right. "Seriously though, do you believe him?"  
"Actually, no. It does seem like they're up to something. I'll tell you what, I'll see what I can find out from Natalia tomorrow. I bet I can get her to spill."  
Eric pushed the last mouthful of pizza into his mouth before wiping his hands on a paper napkin. "So what shall we do for the rest of the evening?" Eric asked Calleigh, beginning to lean towards her.  
"Oh, I don't know…" She pondered playfully. " I was planning on catching up with some paperwork…"  
Before Calleigh knew what had hit her, Eric had leapt across the bed, landing on top of her and pushing her back against the pillows. Not giving her time to protest, he leant down and kissed her, beginning to unbutton the shirt she wore as he did so. Eventually, he had to break the kiss in order to take a breath. As he did so, Calleigh pushed herself up just enough to whisper in his ear…

"Or your idea is good…"

He smiled, and she closed her eyes as he kissed her once more.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N - So sorry for the big gap between updates. Real life just keeps getting in the way!

The sun streaming through the window woke Eric the next day. For a moment, he forgot where he was – although the cream and white bedroom was very familiar to him. Then he rolled over, and the sight of Calleigh sleeping peacefully next to him reminded him. He smiled to himself. _This_ he thought _feels right_.

Sliding quietly across the bed, Eric wrapped his arm around Calleigh's torso, gentle enough so as not to disturb her. He felt the warmth of her body relax against him. Closing his eyes, he drifted back into a peaceful sleep.

Almost an hour later, Eric was woken again, this time by the sound of the radio alarm clock switching on next to him. He stared at the clock. Seven a.m. Calleigh was in the shower, judging by the sound of running water he could hear coming from the bathroom. He ran a hand over the stubble on his chin. There wasn't time for him to go home and shave, or even grab a change of clothes. He'd have to head to the lab in yesterday's clothes.

The shower turned off, and moments later Calleigh emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, her wet hair running loose down her back.

Eric gawped at her as she moved around the room, pulling out clothes and makeup. Feeling his eyes on her, Calleigh turned to face him.

"What are you staring at?" She asked him, her voice a little higher-pitched than normal.  
"What d'you think I'm staring at?" He answered playfully.  
"Well, don't. We have to be at the lab in an hour. Shouldn't you be getting ready?" Eric sighed and threw the bed sheet back. He pulled himself off the bed before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.

When he emerged a few minutes later, Calleigh was already dressed and combing out her hair. He began collecting the clothes that had somehow ended up strewn around the room. Pulling his boxers out from underneath a chest of drawers, Eric began to pull them on.

"What are you doing?" Calleigh asked him, apparently puzzled.

Eric froze, unsure of what she meant. "I was… getting dressed. Thought it might cause a bit of a stir if I turned up for work wearing this towel."  
"I meant wearing yesterday's boxers."  
"To be honest, Cal, I didn't exactly pack for the occasion."  
Calleigh rolled her eyes "bottom drawer". She motioned towards the dresser, before picking up her hair-drier and turning back to the mirror.

Eric pulled the bottom drawer open. Inside, neatly laundered and folded, was a selection of his own clothes. A few pairs of boxers, some socks, a pair of jeans. A single shoe was in one corner – the partner to a lonely one he'd had at home for years. He had been wondering where it went. A small shoebox housed a selection of toiletries – some deodorant, a razor, even a toothbrush.

Smiling, he pulled out a clean pair of boxers and pulled them on.

"Hey, Cal!" he called, trying to make himself heard over the drone of the hairdryer. She switched it off and turned to face him. "Where d'you get all this stuff from?"  
"It's yours!" Calleigh answered, seemingly confused by his confusion.  
"Yeah, I know, but how come it's here?" He pulled the shoe out. "I have the other one at home!"  
"It's stuff you've left here over the years. I told you it was there."  
"You did?"  
"Yeah. I left messages on your cell. Didn't you pick them up?"

He turned the shoe over in his hands. A vague memory flitted around his head. Late nights when he'd been too drunk to find his own way home… Calleigh letting him sleep on her couch when being a cop made his neighbourhood an unwise place to be… distractedly listening to messages on his cell when he'd been on his way to a crime scene, or picking up a girl for a date. All those times Calleigh had welcomed him into her home, fed him, laundered the clothes he left behind, and he couldn't even remember if he'd thanked her. He suddenly felt incredibly guilty. Still holding the shoe, he crossed the room and pulled her into his arms, crushing her against him with a massive bear-hug.

Calleigh let out a small squeak of surprise "What's this for?"  
"I just don't think I ever really thanked you for putting me up all those times." Eric released his grip and stood back a little. "I've probably not always been the best house guest…"  
"That's OK." Calleigh turned back to the mirror "I'm sure I can come up with some way for you to make it up to me."

They reached the lab a few minutes ahead of their shift. They felt no need to arrive separately – after all, Eric had crashed on Calleigh's couch more times than anyone could remember. There was no need for this to look any different.

"I'm going to see if I can find Natalia – maybe there's been some progress on the March Murder." Calleigh smiled at Eric "see you later."  
"Can't wait. I'm going to see if I can get five minutes with Hortatio. Make sure he knows… you know." Eric was clearly a little uneasy about the idea.

Calleigh pulled herself up on tip-toe to give him a reassuring peck on the cheek. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Come find me when you're down, OK?" Eric nodded and turned towards Horatio's office. Calleigh began moving towards the trace lab in the hope that Natalia would be there.

Natalia looked up from her microscope as Calleigh pushed the door open.

"Hey Natalia, is that from the March case?" "Nope, this is a toenail I found in the break room. I'm trying to figure out who's clipping their nails where we eat."  
Calleigh grimaced slightly.  
Natalia turned around and pulled an evidence bag out of a tray.  
"This is from the March case" she announced, slitting the seal to empty the contents.  
Calleigh peered at the small coloured beads in front of her.  
"The glass from March's wound" She pulled on a latex glove and picked up one of the pieces to examine it more closely.  
"Yep" Natalia confirmed. "Specifically, a mixture of Sunset Yellow and Cerulean Blue." Natalia picked up a piece and placed it carefully onto a slide, before inserting it into the microscope. "Come look at the shape of it."  
Calleigh peered in the microscope "It looks crescent shaped…"  
"I'm willing to bet that's because they've chipped off of a metal pole."

Calleigh stood up, thinking momentarily. "OK, so March's wound was caused by a metal rod covered in small pieces of melted glass. We know he was working as a glass sculptor, but his house keeper thought he worked in an office…"  
"And we know he's done some pretty shady stuff with other people's money in the past…" Natalia added.  
"You know, I think we have enough for a warrant. Thanks, Natalia." Calleigh beamed at her.  
"No problem. Anyway, on to more important stuff. How was last night?"  
Calleigh flushed. How the hell did Natalia know what had happened last night?  
"What do you mean?" Calleigh stalled, playing for time to think.  
"Oh come on, Cal. Everybody can see there's something going on with you and Eric. No need to be coy about it." Natalia as she teased, carefully replacing the glass back into the envelope and resealing it.  
Calleigh dropped her voice and ducked her head, trying to keep their conversation private. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you could act like nothing's going on for now. Just until Eric's spoken to Horatio."  
Natalia smiled wryly. "Sure thing. But you'll have to ask the rest of the lab to do that too, you know."  
Calleigh blushed again, but chose to say nothing. Instead, she turned and pulled the door open.  
"Oh, Calleigh?" Calleigh turned to face Natalia again "We still on for Friday night?"  
Friday night… Calleigh had almost forgotten.  
"Sure thing. It's just the two of us, right? Just dinner? Nothing else I should know?" This time it was Natalia's turn to look uncomfortable.  
"Of course." She replied "why wouldn't it be?"  
"Oh, no reason. Just something Ryan said to Eric is all." Calleigh grinned innocently, making Natalia feel even more awkward. There was a moment's silence as Calleigh waited for Natalia to give in and tell her what was going on, and Natalia silently prayed that Calleigh would give in and leave.

Eventually, Calleigh's eagerness to get the warrant sorted out won, and she made her goodbyes and left.  
As soon as Calleigh was out of sight, Natalia pulled out her cell and sent a text to Ryan.  
"B careful. Cal suspicious. See you l8r. N"

It didn't take long for the warrant to come through, and the team soon found themselves back at the glass-sculpting warehouse where Eric and Calleigh had first identified their victim.

Horatio pushed the vast warehouse doors wide open, allowing sunlight to pour inside. "Miami Dade PD" he called, holding his badge high up. "We have a warrant to search these premises. Everybody place your tools down and step away from the equipment."

The workers stated at him in bemusement, before slowly pulling whatever they were working on out of the furnaces. Reluctantly, they plunged their half-completed art work into the buckets of cold water. The sound of glass shattering filled the cavernous room.

The man who had spoken to Eric and Calleigh the previous day stepped forward, pulling his gloves off and pushing his goggled back through his tangled hair.  
"Mind if I ask what this is about?" He asked Horatio.  
Horatio pulled his sunglasses off and looked the man over. "And you are?"  
"Richard Zimmerman, I own this place."  
"Well, Mr Zimmerman, I'd appreciate it if you could come down to the lab and answer a few questions." Horatio calmly replied.  
"Not until you tell me what this is about. " Richard planted himself firmly, crossing his arms in front of him.  
"This is about the murder of David March, and the City of Miami would much appreciate your co-operation on the matter.

Behind them, the other CSIs moved around the room, gathering up the glass rods and carrying them out to the Hummers. Richard looked around at the chaos. Sighing, he realised his team wouldn't be getting any more work done today. Defeated, he simply nodded.

"Good man. Do me a favour and wait here whilst we finish up." Horatio moved away, checking on the work his team was doing. Calleigh was perusing a shelf full of jars of coloured glass. She pulled two of the jars down.  
"What do you have?" Horatio asked  
"Sunset Yellow and Cerulean Blue. These are the colours Natalia found in March's wound. "Good work. Bag them and tag them." Calleigh nodded and began walking back out to the hummer.  
"Oh, and Calleigh?" Horatio called. She turned and looked at him, waiting for him to continue.  
"Congratulations. It's about time for you too. But if Stetler asks, I don't know anything, OK?"  
Calleigh smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Horatio."


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N – I am so, so sorry for the massive delay in this! I had a baby at the end of January and he's been taking up pretty much all of my free time. Anyway, here's chapter seven – the penultimate chapter. I hopefully will be able to polish this story off pretty quickly now. Thank you all so much for your reviews. Enjoy!**_

By Friday morning, neither Calleigh nor Eric had managed to worm any further information out of Natalia and Eric. The senior CSIs couldn't help but feel frustrated that the younger duo had managed to keep their secret.

Even worse, the David March case had stalled. Interviews with the workers at the Glass factory had revealed that March had been having an affair with the sales girl that Calleigh and Eric had spoken to earlier in the week, but both the girl and her husband had an iron-clad alibi. None of the steel rods the team had collected had any blood evidence on them, and they hadn't been able to trace the car that Miranda had described. The plates we're illegal, and not in the system. All in all, this had been a frustrating week at work for everybody.

Eric in particular couldn't wait for the weekend to come 'round. He and Calleigh both had the whole weekend off, and they would be having dinner with his parents – their first as an "official couple". His mother had been ecstatic when he had called to tell her. She had always had a soft spot for Calleigh. But before he could kick back and relax, Eric still had to get through today. And that was going to be trying. First, the whole team would be heading back to March's house and going through the place with a fine-toothed comb. They would almost certainly find nothing, and would spend all day doing it. Then he had to drive Ryan to the airport. Or not, depending on what Ryan was planning.

At least he would be spending the day working closely with Calleigh. As he drove the last few blocks to the office, that thought kept him smiling. Even better, their relationship was pretty much out in the open now, so they could simply enjoy being together. Things were definitely looking up for Eric.

As he pulled into the parking lot, Eric searched for Calleigh's car. Finally seeing it parked in the far corner, he pulled up next to her. She still sat in the driver's seat, talking on her cell. Eric quickly jumped out of his own car and dashed around to open Calleigh's door for her, just as she ended the call.

"Do you follow me around just so you can do that?" Calleigh smiled, slightly bemused.  
"Maybe." He grinned at her, and leaned in to kiss her.  
"Ah…" Calleigh hesitated, pulling away from him.  
"Hey, what's going on? I thought you were OK with this…" Eric was frustrated. Things were looking so good and now Calleigh was turning away from him.  
"I am – didn't you check your voicemails? Stetler's on the warpath. He called Horatio in two hours ago and he's started going through our case notes."  
Suddenly it was all clear to Eric. If Stetler got wind of their relationship he would almost certainly insist that one of them move to a different team. No wonder Calleigh wanted to play it safe.  
"Do we know what he's looking for?" Eric asked, concerned.  
"I think it's just because we've not had much of a success rate lately. You know how he is, he probably thinks somebody's sabotaging the lab or something." Calleigh dropped her voice as they walked across the parking lot into the lab.

Inside, the usually calm lab was a hive of activity. Stetler had brought a team in with him, and most of the night shift had been asked to stay on whilst the lab was investigated. Calleigh and Eric stood in the doorway for a few seconds, processing the chaos in front of them.

"I'm going to find Horatio, see what's going on." Eric gently brushed Calleigh's elbow, a movement so small nobody else could possibly see. She smiled.  
"OK".  
"Ms Duquesne?" As Eric walked away from her, Calleigh turned towards the voice.

Stetler.

"Could I have a moment of your time please?" He stood a few feet away from her, casual yet imposing.  
"Sure." Calleigh smiled, not really knowing why she suddenly felt so nervous. Stetler turned and led her into an office he had commandeered.  
"Have a seat, Ms Duquesne." He motioned towards a chair. Calleigh sat, whilst Stetler perched on the edge of the desk. "So…" he began, crossing his arms across his chest. "I just wanted a quick chat. See how things have been lately."  
Calleigh shifted uncomfortably. She didn't appreciate being interrogated like a suspect. "Could you be more specific?" She responded.  
"Come on, Ms Duquesne. It's no secret the lab hasn't exactly been enjoying a high success rate lately."

Calleigh relaxed. This was about the lab, not her relationship with Eric. "We've had a run of challenging cases lately, yes, but we aren't giving up on them. In fact, I'm pretty sure we'll be turning a case over for prosecution any day now…" Calleigh silently cursed herself. As if there wasn't enough pressure on the team, now she'd told Stetler they were making headway when they weren't.

"Really? Which case?" Stetler was no fool, Calleigh would have to think fast.  
"The March case. We're about to re-interview the girlfriend." _Damn… _Calleigh thought. For a CSI, she wasn't doing well under pressure.  
"The girlfriend? I thought she had an alibi?"  
"She does, but there's some question about it…" Calleigh trailed off, praying she'd said enough to satisfy Stetler.  
"Oh. Very good. I hope to see some progress then." He began flicking through a file. Realising Calleigh was still sitting in front of him, he looked up. "You can go." He dismissed her, returning to the file.

Calleigh nodded and shot out of the room.

Natalia was waiting outside. "How'd it go?"  
"Urgh…" Calleigh moaned. "I told him we were re-interviewing March's girlfriend. I'm such an idiot! Now what?"  
"Well, I guess we re-interview the girlfriend. It wouldn't hurt." Natalia offered. They were clutching at straws, but it was worth a shot.  
"OK. Let's get her back here."

It took a couple of hours for patrol to bring the girlfriend back in. There was something about her that made Calleigh think she was hiding something. Then again, she'd been having an affair with the guy, and so far her husband knew nothing about it. She had good reason to be nervous.

"Is this going to take long? My Mom's picking me up. We're going shopping for the baby." Calleigh and Natalia exchanged a quick glance. This was the first mention of a baby.  
"Baby?" Natalia questioned.  
"Yeah, I'm pregnant. 12 weeks. I got a lot of stuff to buy."  
"Well, congratulations" Calleigh grinned. "Tell me again, how long had you been seeing David March?"  
"Nine months, on and off. I know what you're thinking…"  
"You do?" This was news to Calleigh, who had been making things up as she went along all morning.  
"You're wondering if David is the baby's daddy. Well, he isn't. My husband is the daddy."  
"You seem very sure of that." Natalia was dubious.  
"I am."  
"OK, moving on…" Calleigh interrupted. "Tell me again where you were the night David was killed."  
The girl sighed. "Like I said last time you dragged me in here. Out to dinner with my husband and some friends. You already checked with them, remember?" The girl was becoming frustrated.  
"OK, not much longer." Calleigh soothed "You must be eager to hit the shops. And I bet your Mom is excited, too."  
The girl smiled. "Yeah, she can't wait to be a Grandma. She and Dad are really into this whole happy families stuff."  
"Listen, I think we're probably done here." Calleigh said, tidying up the paperwork she'd brought with her. Natalia shot her a puzzled look, but remained quiet. "I'll escort you out."

As the girl stood and fumbled in her purse for something, Natalia whispered in Calleigh's ear. "What are you thinking?"  
"Just go with it, OK?"

They walked outside into the Miami sunshine, Calleigh casually chatting to the girl about her family.  
"My Mom's just pulled up. Can I go now?" The girl asked, keen to get away.  
"Sure." Calleigh glanced up at the car pulling up at the kerb. "Wait… is that you're Mom's car?"  
"My Dad's" replied the girl. "Mom drives it sometimes."  
"You know," replied Calleigh "I think I'd like a chat with your Mom before you go…"  
Natalia looked at the car, and suddenly saw what Calleigh had seen. The licence plate read "L0AD 3D"


End file.
